Archonts noun plural [ Greek 'a`rchwn , present participle See Archon .] (Zoology) The group including man alone.

Archoplasm noun [ See Archon ; Plasma .] (Biol.) The substance from which attraction spheres develop in mitotic cell division, and of which they consist.

Archprelate noun [ Prefix arch- + prelate .] An archbishop or other chief prelate.

Archpresbyter noun Same as Archpriest .

Archpresbytery noun [ Prefix arch- + presbytery .] The absolute dominion of presbytery. Milton.

Archpriest noun A chief priest; also, a kind of vicar, or a rural dean.

Archprimate noun [ Prefix arch- + primate .] The chief primate. Milton.

Archtraitor noun [ Prefix arch- + traitor .] A chief or transcendent traitor. I. Watts.

Archtreasurer noun [ Prefix arch- + treasurer .] A chief treasurer. Specifically, the great treasurer of the German empire.

Archway noun A way or passage under an arch.

Archwife noun [ Prefix arch- + wife .] A big, masculine wife. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Archwise adverb Arch- shaped.

Archy adjective Arched; as, archy brows.

archy [ Greek ..., from ... chief. See Arch- , pref .] A suffix properly meaning a rule , ruling , as in mon archy , the rule of one only. Confer -arch .

Arciform adjective [ Latin arcus bow + -form .] Having the form of an arch; curved.

Arcograph noun [ Latin arcus (E. arc ) + -graph .] An instrument for drawing a circular arc without the use of a central point; a cyclograph.

Arctation noun [ Latin arctus shut in, narrow, past participle of arcere to shut in: confer French arctation .] (Medicine) Constriction or contraction of some natural passage, as in constipation from inflammation.

Arctic adjective [ Middle English artik , Old French artique , French arctique , Latin arcticus , from Greek ..., from ... a bear, also a northern constellation so called; akin to Latin ursus bear, Sanskrit ...ksha.] Pertaining to, or situated under, the northern constellation called the Bear ; northern; frigid; as, the arctic pole, circle, region, ocean; an arctic expedition, night, temperature.

» The arctic circle is a lesser circle, parallel to the equator, 23° 28′ from the north pole. This and the antarctic circle are called the polar circles , and between these and the poles lie the frigid zones. See Zone .

Arctic noun
1. The arctic circle.

2. A warm waterproof overshoe. [ U.S.]

Arctisca noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... bear.] (Zoology) A group of Arachnida. See Illust. in Appendix.

Arctogeal adjective [ Greek ... the north + ..., ..., country.] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to arctic lands; as, the arctogeal fauna.

Arctoidea noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... bear + -oid .] (Zoology) A group of the Carnivora, that includes the bears, weasels, etc.

Arcturus noun [ Latin Arcturus , Greek ... bearward, equiv. to ...; ... bear + ... ward, guard. See Arctic .] (Anat.) A fixed star of the first magnitude in the constellation Boötes.

» Arcturus has sometimes been incorrectly used as the name of the constellation, or even of Ursa Major.

Canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons [ Rev. Ver.: "the Bear with her train"].
Job xxxviii. 32.

Arcual adjective Of or pertaining to an arc.

Arcual measure of an angle (Math.) , that in which the unit angle has its measuring arc equal to the radius of the circle.

Arcuate, Arcuated adjective [ Latin arcuatus , past participle of arcuare to shape like a bow, from arcus . See Arc .] Bent or curved in the form of a bow. " Arcuate stalks." Gray.

Arcuately adverb In the form of a bow.

Arcuation noun [ Latin arcuatio .]
1. The act of bending or curving; incurvation; the state of being bent; crookedness. Coxe.

2. (Hort.) A mode of propagating trees by bending branches to the ground, and covering the small shoots with earth; layering. Chambers.

Arcubalist noun [ See Arbalist .] A crossbow. Fosbroke.

Arcubalister noun [ Latin arcuballistarius . Confer Arbalister .] A crossbowman; one who used the arcubalist. Camden.

Arcubus noun See Arquebus . [ Obsolete]

Ardassine noun [ French (cf. Spanish ardacina ), from ardasse a kind of silk thread, from Arabic & Persian ardan a kind of raw silk.] A very fine sort of Persian silk.

Ardency noun
1. Heat. [ R.] Sir T. Herbert.

2. Warmth of passion or affection; ardor; vehemence; eagerness; as, the ardency of love or zeal.

Ardent adjective [ Middle English ardaunt , French ardant , present participle of arder to burn, from Latin ardere .]
1. Hot or burning; causing a sensation of burning; fiery; as, ardent spirits, that is, distilled liquors; an ardent fever.

2. Having the appearance or quality of fire; fierce; glowing; shining; as, ardent eyes. Dryden.

3. Warm, applied to the passions and affections; passionate; fervent; zealous; vehement; as, ardent love, feelings, zeal, hope, temper.

An ardent and impetuous race.
Macaulay.

Syn. -- Burning; hot; fiery; glowing; intense; fierce; vehement; eager; zealous; keen; fervid; fervent; passionate; affectionate.

Ardently adverb In an ardent manner; eagerly; with warmth; affectionately; passionately.

Ardentness noun Ardency. [ R.]

Ardois system (Nautical) A widely used system of electric night signals in which a series of double electric lamps (white and red) is arranged vertically on a mast, and operated from a keyboard below.

Ardor noun [ Latin ardor , from ardere to burn: confer Old French ardor , ardur , French ardeur .] [ Spelt also ardour .]
1. Heat, in a literal sense; as, the ardor of the sun's rays.

2. Warmth or heat of passion or affection; eagerness; zeal; as, he pursues study with ardor ; the fought with ardor ; martial ardor .

3. plural Bright and effulgent spirits; seraphim. [ Thus used by Milton.]

Syn. -- Fervor; warmth; eagerness. See Fervor .

Arduous adjective [ Latin arduus steep, high; akin to Ir. ard high, height.]
1. Steep and lofty, in a literal sense; hard to climb.

Those arduous paths they trod.
Pope.

2. Attended with great labor, like the ascending of acclivities; difficult; laborious; as, an arduous employment, task, or enterprise.

Syn. -- Difficult; trying; laborious; painful; exhausting. -- Arduous , Hard , Difficult . Hard is simpler, blunter, and more general in sense than difficult ; as, a hard duty to perform, hard work, a hard task, one which requires much bodily effort and perseverance to do. Difficult commonly implies more skill and sagacity than hard , as when there is disproportion between the means and the end. A work may be hard but not difficult . We call a thing arduous when it requires strenuous and persevering exertion, like that of one who is climbing a precipice; as, an arduous task, an arduous duty. "It is often difficult to control our feelings; it is still harder to subdue our will; but it is an arduous undertaking to control the unruly and contending will of others."

Arduously adverb In an arduous manner; with difficulty or laboriousness.

Arduousness noun The quality of being arduous; difficulty of execution.

Ardurous adjective Burning; ardent. [ R.]

Lo! further on,
Where flames the arduous Spirit of Isidore.
Cary.

Are [ Anglo-Saxon (Northumbrian) aron , akin to the 1st pers. plural forms, Icelandic erum , Goth. sijum , Latin sumus , Greek ..., Sanskrit smas ; all from a root as . ... See Am and Is , and confer Be .] The present indicative plural of the substantive verb to be ; but etymologically a different word from be , or was . Am , art , are , and is , all come from the root as .

Are noun [ French, from Latin area . See Area .] (Metric system) The unit of superficial measure, being a square of which each side is ten meters in length; 100 square meters, or about 119.6 square yards.

Area (ā"re*ȧ; 277) noun ; plural Areas (-ȧz) . [ Latin area a broad piece of level ground. Confer Are , noun ]
1. Any plane surface, as of the floor of a room or church, or of the ground within an inclosure; an open space in a building.

The Alban lake . . . looks like the area of some vast amphitheater.
Addison.

2. The inclosed space on which a building stands.

3. The sunken space or court, giving ingress and affording light to the basement of a building.

4. An extent of surface; a tract of the earth's surface; a region; as, vast uncultivated areas .

5. (Geom.) The superficial contents of any figure; the surface included within any given lines; superficial extent; as, the area of a square or a triangle.

6. (Biol.) A spot or small marked space; as, the germinative area .

7. Extent; scope; range; as, a wide area of thought.

The largest area of human history and man's common nature.
F. Harrison.

Dry area . See under Dry .

Aread, Areed transitive verb [ Middle English areden , Anglo-Saxon ārǣdan to interpret. See Read .]
1. To tell, declare, explain, or interpret; to divine; to guess; as, to aread a riddle or a dream. [ Obsolete]

Therefore more plain aread this doubtful case.
Spenser.

2. To read. [ Obsolete] Drayton.

3. To counsel, advise, warn, or direct.

But mark what I aread thee now. Avaunt!
Milton.

4. To decree; to adjudge. [ Archaic] Ld. Lytton.

Areal adjective [ Confer Latin arealis , from area .] Of or pertaining to an area; as, areal interstices (the areas or spaces inclosed by the reticulate vessels of leaves).

Arear transitive verb & i. [ Anglo-Saxon ārǣran . See Rear .] To raise; to set up; to stir up. [ Obsolete]

Arear adverb [ See Arrear , adverb ] Backward; in or to the rear; behindhand. Spenser.

Areca noun [ Canarese adiki : confer Portuguese & Spanish areca .] (Botany) A genus of palms, one species of which produces the areca nut, or betel nut, which is chewed in India with the leaf of the Piper Betle and lime.